For the next few months, it’s all about the outdoor track & field season as our RI athletes look to achieve PRs, individual and/or team titles this spring on the state level and, for some, the national level. Who are some of the top individuals we should keep an eye on this spring? Here we preview what we consider some of the best in the boys’ middle & long-distance events.)
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
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800m
Graduation wiped away nearly all our podium finishers in this event last year with only two returnees from the top eight = North Kingstown’s Mikiyas Ashenati (sixth) and Barrington’s Brooks Mello (eighth). Despite a mostly senior-laden podium from 2024, this event is far from being short on talent. Among our top 800m runners are Cole Francis of Narragansett and La Salle’s Marshall Vernon. Both did not compete in the two-lapper at the State Meet, but produced some of our fastest times last year with Francis clocking a state No. 2 of 1:55.27 to take runner-up honors at the Hendricken Invitational and Vernon racing to a time of 1:56.99 to nab the silver at the BSR Mid Distance Classic. The two standouts have strong range from the 800m to the 3K. We’re thinking that Francis may focus more on this event this season. He’s just a few months removed from capturing his first individual state crown this past winter with a victory in the 1,000m and an all-time best of 2:30.33, an effort that placed him second at the New England’s. He has the capabilities of running in the low 1:50 range by season’s end. Much like he did last spring, we’re expecting Vernon to focus more on the 1,500/3K double. But don’t be surprised to see him pull off a PR effort in the 800m at an invitational meet. At his best he, too, could run in the low 1:50s. During indoor, he proved that’s possible with his solo 2:29.77 PR for the 1,000m at Class A meet. Ashenati ran a PR of 1:57.89 at the states last spring. Mello also had his best at the State Meet where he finished at 1:58.52. Other top runners are Moses Brown’s Xavier Ohl (1:58.37) and St. Raphael’s Alex Ramos (1:59.42), just to name a few.
1,500m
This event is loaded with talent with at least four or more runners that have broken, or are capable of breaking, four minutes. The Rams’ Vernon is the top runner in this event with a PR of 3:57.08 from last year’s outdoor states; although, he has run faster en route to a mile PR of 4:10. Francis clocked his all-time best of 3:58.33 from the states last spring where he placed fourth overall. There’s other runners like Barrington’s Myles Napolitano, Hendricken’s Colby Flynn and Portsmouth’s Sean Gray that we believe could potential go sub-4 this spring. All three are in that low four-minute range and have the proven ability to make it happen with the right kind of race.
3,000m
You couldn’t have asked for a more exciting finish for the 3K than we did at this past winter’s indoor states with the Rams’ Vernon diving at the finish to earn a very slim triumph over Flynn. Vernon has an all-time best of 8:30.18, which he did en route to a 9:01.32 for 3,200m at the Glenn D. Loucks Games. Flynn ran a PR of 8:28.91 to take third at the Yale Track Classic. There’s also Gray, the defending outdoor titlist, who won his crown with a best of 8:33.18. HIs indoor season was set back a little due to an early-season injury, but he bounced back and finished the indoor campaign with PRs of 9:18.92 for the two mile at the New England’s and a state record of 14:43.48 for the 5,000m from the New Balance Nationals. Francis is another runner capable of getting his time in the 8:30s this season. He has a best of 8:40.93 from the Greater Boston Track Club Invitational on Jan. 21. Other runners that should be in the mix are Napolitanio, Hendricken’s BJ Kerachsky, East Greenwich’s Luke Allen, Hendricken’s Jack Moretta and Burrillville’s Arthur Ferris.
